Windows Phone Games

Wordfeud is a rather old game and has been available on the Windows Phone Store since 2012. Today, the game received an update, pushing the title up to version 1.35. But just what is included in today's release?

Age of Sparta, the newest free-to-play strategy game from publisher Gameloft, has made its debut today in the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store. As the title suggests, the game is set in the time of the ancient Greek Empire, with players asked to build their city, form their army and lead that force to victory against their enemies.

Royal Revolt 2, the popular fantasy action-strategy game from developer Flare Games, has received a new content update for Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 that, among other things, lets players become an Alliance General.

Windows Phone puzzle games can be an enjoyable way to pass the time. Some games are fast paced to challenge your reflexes and sense of timing. Then other games require a little more thought in finding a solution. Rote is a relatively new Windows Phone game that falls more into the latter category.

The puzzle game has you guiding a ball down a path that is blocked by a series of boxes. You will have to shuffle the boxes around to create a path the ball can use to continue its travels. The concept is simple but as you will find, the solutions are not. Available for low-memory Windows Phones, Rote comes across as a quality addition to the Windows Phone puzzle game genre.

I, Gladiator is an action adventure Windows Phone game that has you playing the role of Rufus, a pawn that is caught in the middle of two warring Roman gods. To escape the clutches of the gods and regain control of his fate, Rufus must battle his way from the bottom of the gladiator hierarchy in a series of increasingly difficult tournaments.

I, Gladiator normally runs $2.99 but for the next twenty-four hours, through the myAppFree deal, you can pick the Windows Phone game up for free. Available for low-memory Windows Phones, the graphics look good, gaming controls are gesture based and in just tinkering with I, Gladiator for a short time the game comes across as an entertaining way to pass the time.

Blobb is a relatively new Windows Phone game that has you navigating a small green blob around a labyrinth of turns to reach star cookies that the creature has become addicted to.

The game includes 45 levels of play with the free version and an additional 30 levels of play can be unlocked via in-app purchase ($1.49). The graphics are decent and the puzzles challenging enough to keep things interesting. Available for low-memory devices, Blobb isn't a terrible option to consider if you are looking for some help passing the time but I couldn't help but think the game needed a little more something, something.

You probably already know that Windows Central streams Xbox games every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday night via Twitch. We even give out free copies of the games we stream on the weekends. We've built up a loyal community who tune in to see us play games, enjoy the commentary of the hosts, and chat with their fellow readers and viewers.

What you might not know is that I also stream non-Xbox games every Monday, just for fun. But tonight's stream will be special because we're streaming three games from popular Windows developer 10tons! We'll be playing Sparkle 2 and King Oddball (both for Windows Phone and Windows 8) and Crimsonland, a twin-stick shooter for Steam that will be coming to mobile Windows platforms soon.

Update: The stream has ended. Continue reading to see the full video replay, my impressions of each game, and a list of tonight's winners!

Spinballs is a Windows Phone game that hit the Store shelves earlier this month. The puzzle game has you shooting a ball across a wooden puzzle where it should eventually land in a basket. We were tipped on this game, it looked interesting and we took the plunge to see what it was all about.

The puzzles have trap doors, re-directs and other twists to add some degree of challenge to the game. The concept is decent but glitches with the graphics and a few other factors noticeably holds this Windows Phone game back. It is available for low-memory devices.

A few years ago, Microsoft partnered with Nokia and Aalto University to create the AppCampus. The initiative was created to help developers build new content for Windows Phone and has had tremendous success.

The latest mobile gaming app hit is Trivia Crack, but its method of using questions supplied by its many players has created a backlog of questions that are still awaiting approval. The app, developed by Etermax, gets an average of one million questions per day submitted by users, according to the developer's founder Maximo Cavazzani.

Sometimes the simplest of games can be the most enjoyable. Rocket Fireworks is a Windows Phone game that hopes to fall into that category. Rocket Fireworks includes three gaming options where basically get to shoot fireworks on your Windows Phone. Sounds relatively simple, right?

Rocket Fireworks three gaming modes are designed to test your memory, reactions and tapping speeds. You also have time constraints and color sequences to match to keep the game from becoming too easy. The game concept is simple but mastering it may take some time. Available for low-memory Windows Phones, Rocket Fireworks comes across as a nice fit for the simple but enjoyable Windows Phone mold.

Make it Rain: The Love of Money is arguably one of the oddest and silliest games to land on Windows Phone (and Windows 8.1 soon too), but here it is. From the developers Game Troopers comes a simple game that is also evidently popular on Android and iOS.

The goal? Flick dollar bills as fast as you to, well, you know, "make it rain". Of course, there is more to the game than just that as you can score points and then "invest in venture capital, loan sharking, or offshore drilling." Sure, whatever.

This morning, Plain Vanilla, Inc. and Gateway Apps, LLC have announced plans to bring QuizUp (QuizUp.com) to Windows and Windows Phone as a universal app. The release is timed with an expected major update to QuizUp for Android and iOS due sometime this year.

More importantly, we are told that the Windows versions include all the features found on competitor platforms with the addition of Live Tiles to make the experience more personal. Cross platform play with Android and iOS is also a planned feature.

QuizUp was previously close to a release on Windows Phone last year, but the project was postponed. It now looks like the company behind the game (Plain Vanilla, Inc) was waiting for a more appropriate time to re-launch the game with a feature refresh and taking advantage of universal programming libraries for Windows. Exact details of the QuizUp update for iOS, Android and Windows have not yet been revealed.

Gun Strike 2 is an action packed Windows Phone game where you play the role of a local mercenary who faces a wide assortment of combat assignments. Game play is along the lines of a robust Hogan's Alley styled game with your enemies popping out from behind walls, through windows and other areas of cover. While the missions vary in context, the ultimate goal is the same, take the enemy out before they take you out.

Available for low-memory Windows Phones, Gun Strike 2 has plenty of weapons upgrades and mercenary types to unlock. The game has its fair share of challenges and comes across as an enjoyable title for our Windows Phone gaming library.

Yog is a fun, casual game that requires great reflexes along with hand and eye coordination. Yog means union or conjunction in Sanskrit, or addition in mathematical context.

The game isn't a mathematical quiz, and you don't have to add numbers. As you go along, additions are displayed, and you have to specify if those are correct or not. As the game progresses, the difficulty level of question increases.

Farmville is a popular online game developed by Zynga and has many Facebook users addicted to farm life. Farmville 2: Country Escape brings the Farmville concept to our Windows Phones and Windows 8 devices with a slight twist from the original game.

While the original Farmville was more free-play in nature, Country Escape is more task or quest oriented. You still have a farm to build and manage with crops to grow and livestock to raise, but the game seemed to have more structure.The Farmville gaming genre is a fun way to pass the time and Farmville 2: Country Escape came across as a nice installment.

Windows Phone puzzle game lovers will be pleased with this week's myAppFree deal. It is Dwelp, a connect the dot styled puzzler that is not only available for our Windows Phone but the game is also available for Windows 8 devices.

The game has you linking similar colored dots that are scattered about on a gaming board. You aren't racing the clock but the fewer moves it takes to connect everything, the better. Normally Dwelp is priced at $1.99 in the Windows Phone Store but through the myAppFree deal you can pick it up for free. As an added bonus, being a universal app, you can also pick up the Windows 8 version free as well.

Mash&Co. hopes to continue the AppCampus string of successful Windows Phone titles by bringing an interactive children's game to the table. Mash&Co. is a multimedia, episodic learning app (plays out more as a game) for pre-school children. The game includes performance monitors for parents to review and see how their children's skills are improving.

The other week we took a look at the Windows Phone game Field Goal Tournament where you try your skills at kicking field goals from various spots on the football field. The same developer has released a similar game that centers around the basketball court to see how good of a jump shot you have.

Basketball Tournament has two gaming modes that will challenge your ability to make a basketball shot from various spots on the court. Some shots are gimmes while others send you downtown. As with Field Goal Tournament, Basketball Tournament is available for low-memory Windows Phones and is a fun game to pass short bits of time with.